Beatriz Ospina Created A Mindfulness Meditation App To Help People Live Happier Lives

Beatriz Ospina has more than 6 years of experience in the Tech industry. She worked for UPS Corporate managing different technology applications and programs. She is now the Co-Founder and Editor in Chief of Welzen. She is extremely passionate about her work and wants to share the benefits of mindfulness meditation with everyone. She holds a degree of Business Administration and Communication from Reinhardt University. She has been a meditator for several years now. Read our interview with the lovely Beatriz below…

What motivated and inspired you to start your own business?

I first saw the benefits of meditation when I played competitive tennis. I used lots of visualizations as part of my mental training. I did not know I was meditating at the time. A few years ago I began meditating again to relieve some stress and saw a lot of positive changes in my life. I became greatly aware of my emotions and my responses to situations. On the other hand my stress and anxiety levels dropped tremendously. I became happier and healthier through meditation. In conversations with my now business partner, Esteban Gonzalez, we decided to launch a Mindfulness Meditation app, with the idea of using our technology skills to expand the numerous benefits of Mindfulness. We wanted to positively impact people’s life and we came up with Welzen. Wellness + Zen = Welzen =)

Tell us about your business.

Welzen is a health and wellness company. With our tag line “Your Path to a Happier Life” we try to guide our audience exactly to that, to a more peaceful and happier life. Our main product is a mindfulness meditation app that has short guided mindfulness meditations, coaching sessions, and different series to build ones skills in mindfulness. The app is categorized in different areas of focus such as: Relieve stress, Reduce Anxiety, Increase Focus, Enhance Creativity, Improve Relations, Kid’s Meditation time, and Business Hours, and Happiness.

Are you currently running any promos/contests/giveaways that you would like our readers to know about?

What were the first few steps you took to get your business up and running?

We created the MVP and from there we released a free version of the app in March 2016 to prove the need for a product like ours.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness of your business and getting new customers?

High review scores on the app stores and a lot of word to mouth. The positive reviews have increased our visibility among bloggers and magazines which has led to featured articles that also generate traffic.

What have been your biggest challenges so far?

Building a strong brand with a small team.

How did you overcome these challenges?

Setting priorities and time management.

How do you keep motivated through difficult times?

We have built a wonderful Instagram community of followers that continuously encourage us with their kind words. We have also received wonderful feedback on how we have changed the lives of those that have used Welzen and that is a true motivation!

How do you distinguish yourself from your competitors?

From a user experience perspective, we have beautiful packaging and a simple experience

Our coaching sessions on the app, which explains the scientific part on how mindfulness changes the brain through the different mediations, how users can overcome challenges, and what to expect along their practice

Our newly launched category: Business Hours, which offers micro-meditations to help the user remain calm, focused and motivated throughout their workday

Our pricing is a bit more affordable than our competitor’s

What is the best advice you have received recently?

When looking at the mobile app to think using the concept of “don’t make me think” for usability and user experience. It’s a simple concept of providing the user exactly what they want or need.